KNOXVILLE — Two Claiborne County High School students are recipients of University of Tennessee scholarships named in honor of the local Pressnell family.
Alisha G. Coffey of New Tazewell, Tenn., was awarded the 2002 Shade and Dollie Pressnell Scholarship.
Kerri M. Crawford of Tazewell, Tenn., was named recipient of the 2002 Faye Pressnell Layne Scholarship award.
Both students are scheduled to enroll this fall in UT’s College of Arts and Sciences and major in biology.
The awards were presented recently at the Claiborne County High School commencement.
The late Shade and Dollie Pressnell were lifelong Claiborne County residents and active members of the Methodist Church and the Farm Bureau. The scholarship, established by the Pressnell’s 10 children, is awarded annually to an incoming UT freshman from Claiborne County.
The Faye Pressnell Layne Scholarship also was established by an endowment from the Pressnell children to help Claiborne County High School students attend UT.
The late Layne was a graduate of Lincoln Memorial University who graduated from and taught at Claiborne County High School.
“Education was extremely important to my parents,” Cecil Stickle, a Claiborne County resident and one of the Pressnell siblings who established the scholarships, said. “They made sacrifices so their children could get an education. They were always very supporting and encouraging.”